Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease that results from the degeneration of the retinal pigmented epithelium lining in the eye's macula, which leads to vision loss. The macula is a small area in the retina made up of the light-sensitive tissues lining the back of the eye and plays a critical role in central vision. AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide.
AMD occurs in “wet” and “dry” forms. Wet AMD is the result of abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina. In wet AMD, increased amount of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) contributes to this neovascularization, so therapeutic options include the use of VEGF inhibitors are used. However, many patients treated with VEGF inhibitors develop geographic atrophy (GA), which is a primary symptom of late dry macular degeneration, within a few years of treatment. The disease pathogenesis of dry AMD is unclear and no medical treatment is currently available for dry AMD. Therefore, the development of therapeutics that can treat both wet and dry macular degeneration needed.